Dishwashing machine



April 1962 E. c. LEVlT 3,031,564

' DISHWASHING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1272-527 Tar [fit/419.9 6. [mar Z @mzys.

E. C. LEVlT DISHWASHING MACHINE April 24, 1962 Original Filed Sept. 9,1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United rates Patent O 3,031,564 DESHWASHINGMACHINE Edward C. Len't, St. Joseph, Mich, assignor to WhirlpoolCorporation, a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser.No. 454,941, Sept. 9, 1954. This application May 31, E56, Ser. No.588,566 1 Claim. (Cl. 219-39) This application constitutes acontinuation of copending application, Serial No. 454,941, filedSeptember 9, 1954, now abandoned.

An object of my invention is to provide a dishwashing unit in whichwater and air are circulated through the dishes by an impeller in thebottom of the tub, and in which the efiiciency of air circulationthrough the dishes for drying is increased by providing an aircirculating vane within the hollow interior of the impeller.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved form ofdishwashing machine having an air and water circulating impeller in thebottom of the tub for the dishwashing machine, enclosed by a screenforming a shroud for the impeller, in which the impeller circulates airand water through the dishes when rotating in one direction andbackwashes the screen when rotating in a reverse direction.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved form ofdishwashing machine in which an air and Water circulating impellerenclosed by a screen is provided in the bottom of a tub and in which areversible motor is provided to drive the impeller to elfect thecirculation of air and water through the dishes when driven in onedirection, and in which the motor when rotating in a reverse directiondrives a pump to drain water from the tub and drives the impeller in adirection to backwash the screen and clean articles of food therefrom.

FIGURE 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a dishwasher embodying myinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a front cross-sectional view showing additional structuraldetails of my invention,

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, I haveshown generally a combined dishwashing machine and waste disposal unitcomprising a cabinet having a front opening door 11 for the dish Washingunit, a top 12', shown as being made of wood to provide a work surface,but which may be made of steel coated with enamel or porcelain or anyother desired material.

A sink 15 for a disposal unit is recessed beneath the top 12 and has anupwardly opening cover substantially flush with the top 12, and closingthe sink when not in use.

The top of the cabinet 10 is also shown as having an upwardly andrearwardly inclined panel 22 extending upwardly therefrom along the backthereof and forming a mounting for controls 23, controlling operation ofthe dishwashing machine and disposal unit. The controls 23 may becyclically operated controls for operating the disp'osal unit anddishwashing machine in a predetermined 3,631,564 Patented Apr. 24, 1962cycle and are not herein shown or described, since they form no part ofmy present invention.

Within the cabinet 10 is a tub 24 for a dishwashing machine. The tub 24is shown as having a rear wall 26 formed by the rear wall of the cabinet19, a top wall 27, side walls 28, 28 spaced inwardly of the outer sidewalls of the cabinet, and a bottom 29 sloping downwardly to a drainopening 30 at one side of the center of the tub. The bottom 29 is alsoshown as having a standpipe or sleeve 31 extending upwardly therefrom inthe center thereof and forming a conduit for drawing air into the tub 24from beneath the bottom of the cabinet, by the operation of an impeller33, for drying the dishes.

The impeller 33 is shown as being encircled or enclosed by a generallycylindrical screen 34 of a corrugated form in cross section and shown ashaving a generally fiat top 65. The screen .34 and its top 35 form, ineffect, a

for drying, and also to keep the water up to temperature during washingand rinsing, and is no part of my present invention so need not hereinbe shown or described further.

The dish racks 37 and =38 are shown as being in the formof wire basketsfor containing the dishes and glasses during washing and are of a wellknown form, so need not herein be described in detail. v

The dish rack 37 is provided with spaced rollers 40, 40 adjacent thebottom thereof which are. adaptedto ride along'a track 41, extendinginwardly from side walls- 28, 28 of the dishwashing tub 24.

The dish rack 38 is shown in FIGURE 1 as having a. rail 47 dependingtherefrom and extending along each.

side thereof. Each rail 47 is shown as having a rear support portion 49,for a roller 51, extending a slight distance upwardly from the uppermargin thereof and inclined inwardly and forming a mounting for a pin 50having the roller 51 mounted thereon. The pin 50 may be riveted to theprojecting end portion 49 and may have a head at its outer end to retainthe roller 51 thereto. A spacing collar 53 is shown as spacing theroller outwardly from the support portion 49. The roller 51 is shown inFIGURE 2 as riding within a channel like track 54. The tracks 54, 54 aremounted on and extend inturned flange 61 extending around the peripherythere-.

of and fitting over a corresponding flange 63 of an inner panel 64. Theinner panel 64 is shown as having a recess 65 formed therein andconforming generally to the form of the lower dish rack 37 toaccommodate the rack to extend within the door panel, when the door isclosed.

Counter balancing springs 79, 79 are provided to bias the door in aclosed position and to hold the door open when off-center with respectto the hinge pins 73, 73. As herein shown, each spring 79 is connectedat its lower end to an ear 80 extending inwardly from a side wall of thecabinet. The opposite end of the spring 79 is connected to a dependingarm 81 of a crank 83. The crank 83 extends outwardly from the dependingarm 81 toward the'hinge pin 73 and thence extends upwardly within thechannel 77 and is secured thereto as by nuts and bolts 84, 8d. Thesprings 79, 79 thus bias the door to a closed position, and when thedoor is fully open are positioned off-center with respect to the hingepins 73, 73 by the arms 81, 81 to hold the door open for loading thedish racks with dishes to be washed.

The door 11 is latched closed by suitable latching bars guided betweenthe panels 60 and 64 and operated by a door handle 86 on the outer endof a shaft 87 journaled in the space between the panels 60 and 64.

The dishwashing impeller 33 is shown in FIGURE 1 as being coaxial with ashaft 93 of a motor 95 and as being driven therefrom through a couplingsleeve 96 which also for-ms a support for said impeller. The motor 95may be a well known form of electric motor and is shown'as being'mountedon a base plate 97 on spacer sleeves 99, through which extend bolts 108,100 which may may be threaded within the motor casing. The base '97 issupported in vertically spaced relation with. respect to a bottom 181 ofthe cabinet on pedestals 183, 103. The pedestals 103, 183 may haveresilient bases indicated'generally by, reference character 104 and madefrom 'rubber, an elastomer or the like, to damp vibration of the motor95.

The opposite end of the motor shaft 93 from the impeller 33 projectsdownwardly beneath the base 97 and has 'an overrunning clutch 165thereon. The, overrunning'clutch 105 is of a well known form, to drivethe casing when the motor is rotating in one direction, and to free thecasing when the motor is rotating in an opposite direction. Theoverrunning clutch 135 is grooved at its periphery to form a pulley189having a belt 110 trained thereabout. The belt 110 has drivingconnection with a. pulley 111 on the lower end of a shaft of thedisposal unit.

'The impeller 33 is shown in FIGURE 1 as having a hollow hub 115 of adome-like form, mounted on the coupling 96 forming an upwardcontinuation of the motor shaft 93. The impeller 33 is secured to themotor shaft as by a through bolt 116 extending through the top o f'tlhedome of the hub through the coupling sleeve 96 and threaded'within theend of the motor shaft 93.

Within the hollow interior of the hub 115 at the discharge end of thestandpipe 31 is an air. impelling vane or blade means 117. The airimpelling vane or blade means 117 thus serves to draw air up through thestandpipe 31 and discharge'it through the bottom of. the impeller duringthe drying operation. During the washing operation the level of thewater in the tub 24 is above the level of the bottom of the impeller 115andthus seals the impeller and prevents the drawing of air onto thedishesduring washing.

' The impeller 33 isshown as having a plurality of liquid circulatingblades 120 spaced around the hub 115. The blades 120 are shown in FIGURE1 as being inclined upwardly from said hub and as extending downwardlyalong said hub from the top of the dome thereof to the bottom thereof ina spiral path in the direction of rotation of said hub, to draw waterupwardly through the shroud and screen 34 and 35 onto the dishes in thedish racks 37 and 38 during washing and to force air drawn upwardlythrough the shroud by the impelling vane 117 upwardly over the dishesduring drying.

The impeller 33, except for the internal air circulating vane or blademeans 117, is therefore of a conventional construction, and when a bodyof cleansing liquid is placed in the tub 2.9, the impeller blades 120will engage and hurl this liquid upwardly through the screen 35 over thesurfaces of the dishes, glasses, silverware and other utensils placed inthe racks 37 and 38. This action continues as long as the impeller isoperated and as long as the body of liquid is retained in. the tub.

In operation of the disposal unit, the cover 17 for the sink 15 may beopened to accommodate the scraping of garbage into the sink 15. Assumingthat the controls 23 are in a disposal position, when the cover 17 forthe sink is open, a spray of water will flow downwardly along thesinkthrough and along the duct 28 into the shredding chamber 145. Duringthe period of dislodging food from the dishes, the shredding impeller isoperated by the motor 95 to rotate in a clockwise direction and shredthe food for discharge through the pumping chamher and discharge pipes187 and 188. At the end of the disposal cycle the motor 95 will stop. Atthis time the dishes free from garbage may be placed in the racks 37 and38, which may be moved into the sink along the tracks 41 and 54 whenloaded. The door 11 may then be closed and the dishwashing operation maybe initiated, the tub 24 being first partially filled with Water to alevel above the bottom of the impeller 33 and the motor 95 then beingstarted to rotate in a direction opposite to its direction or rotationwhen driving the shredding impeller. This will drive the dishwashingimpeller 33 in a direction, which in FIGURE 1 is a counterclockwisedirection, when looking downwardly onto said impeller to impel the hotwater upwardly through the dishes in the racks 37 and '38. At the end ofthe dishwashing operation, the motor 95 stops. Its direction of rotationis then reversed, to drive the shredding impeller and effect pumping ofthe water drained from the tub 24 upwardly along the pipe 187 to drain.At the same time, the drain valve 124 is opened under control of thecyclic control means 23.

The dish water thus drains directly through the shredding chamber andpumping chamber 156. During the draining operation, the direction ofrotation of the motor 95 being reversed to drain the spent dishwaterfrom the pumping chamber 156 of the disposal 16, the dishwashingimpeller 33 will reverse its direction of rotation and wash particles offood which may lodge on the screen 35, back from said screen to pass todrain through the disposal unit 16.

As the spent dishwater has been drained from the tub 24, a rinsingoperation may then be effected, the drain valve 124 may again be closedand the tub 219; be partially filled with water, and the direction ofthe motor 95 be reversed to drive the dishwashing impeller 33 in adirection to spray clear hot water over the dishes in the racks 37 and38. After this operation the drain valve 124 may again be opened and thedirection of the motor 95 be reversed, to again efiect operation of theshredding impeller 113 to pump the spent rinsing water from the pumpingchamber 156.

The valve 124 remaining open, the direction of the motor 95 may again bereversed to drive the impeller 33 in an impelling direction, for dryingthe dishes by air drawn up the standpipe 31 and circulated by thepumping vane or blade means 117 and circulating blades 128, it beingunderstood that during the entire washing, rinsing and drying operationthe immersion heater 39 is on both to maintain the dishwashing Water hotand to heat the air for drying the dishes.

It should here be noted that during the drying and draining operationswhen the drain valve 124 is open that the vapor or moisture entering thedrain 38 and the shredding chamber 145 of the disposal unit will tendwater to flow downwardly for discharge through the pumping chamber 156.

It will be understood that modifications and variations in the presentinvention may be eflected without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

In a dishwasher, a vat having a sump, a vertical axis rotary impeller insaid sump, said impeller being hollow and having a depending imperforateannular skirt, a drive shaft for said impeller projecting upwardlythrough the bottom of said sump, an air inlet conduit in the bottom ofsaid sump extending upwardly within said hollow impeller, aircirculating means including impeller blade means mounted internally uponsaid impeller skirt for drawing air upwardly through said conduit, andan annular electric heating unit positioned in said sump and into thevat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,637,376 Gibney Aug. 2, 1927 2,022,637 Huppmann Nov. 26, 1935 2,418,366Powers Apr. 1, 1947 2,422,022 Koertge June 10, 1947 2,432,291 DaytonDec. 9, 1947 2,514,528 Wahl July 11, 1950 2,634,739 Walker Apr. 4, 19532,675,459 Pace Apr. 13, 1954

